1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable and collapsible seat and, more particularly, to a portable and collapsible seat which can be simply and easily worn by suspending the same on a strap attached to the belt of a user or wearer.
2. Background of the Invention
There are many occasions, particularly when a person is outdoors at a gathering or sports event, where the person would like to sit down but there are no seating places available. It has been proposed in the past to provide portable and collapsible seats which people can carry to sporting events and other activities, but most of these prior art portable seats are somewhat clumsy to carry around. Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a portable and collapsible seat which is truly portable and which causes relatively little inconvenience because of its size and weight and because of the manner in which it can be easily attached to the belt of the wearer or user.
3. Summary of the Invention
The present invention relates to a collapsible and portable seat formed by an elongated base which is substantially channel-shaped in cross section, and a leg which is pivotally attached to the base. The leg is movable to two relatively different positions; one position, representing the collapsed position of the seat where the leg is resting against the base; the second position, which repesents the operable condition of the device, is where the leg is at right angles to the base. More particularly, the base itself is a substantially flat, elongated and rectangular member having a pair of flanges extending for the full length of the base and projecting outwardly from the longitudinal edges of base at right angles thereto and parallel to each other. The leg is pivotally attached to the base by the means of a V-shaped link which has a relatively short straight portion at the center of the V, this short straight portion being received in a hole intermediate the ends of the leg. The ends of the link are curved and are received in a pair of opposed holes in the flanges adjacent one end of the base. This same end of the base is provided with a clamp which is formed by extensions of the flanges and which serves to hold the leg in position in the collapsed condition of the seat. A strap extends along the surface of the base between the base and the leg when the latter is in the collapsed condition. One end of this strap connects with a clip which is pivotally connected to one end of the leg adjacent the opposite end of the base. A pair of flat strips are disposed at right angles to the flanges adjacent the opposite end of the base and extend inwardly parallel to the base so as to provide a track for the movement of the clip and the connected end of the strap when the leg is being pivoted outwardly to its operable condition. The clip and the strap are somewhat less in width than the width of the base itself. The ends of the strips at the opposite end of the base are bent or tapered outwardly away from the base to form a guide to assist the clip and the connected end of the strap in entering the track section provided by these strips when the leg is first moved away from its collapsed position. The end of the leg (opposite from the clip) which contacts the ground is provided with a resilient bumper to prevent slipping on a relatively smooth surface. The opposite end of the leg is provided with a rounded projection which fits into a corresponding rounded recess in the base when the leg is positioned at right angles to the base. The end of the strap opposite from the clip is provided with a loop which is adapted to be received around the belt of the wearer. Thus, in the collapsed condition of the seat, it may be simply and casually worn by the user; since the seat can be made of plastic or aluminum, obviously the same can be of extremely light weight and can be carried by the wearer or user with little inconvenience. When it is desired to use the device of the present invention, the user merely grasps the end of the leg which has the bumper thereon, pulls it outwardly away from the clamp at which time the strap commences to exert an upward force on the clip and the adjacent end of the leg, causing the clip to slide upwardly in the track provided by the strips. The clip and associated end of the leg will continue to move upwardly until the rounded projection on the end of the leg is received within the complementary recess in the base. Now the wearer or user simply bends his knees and crouches somewhat backwardly while simultaneously tucking the seat under his posterior until the leg comes to contact with ground and the user's posterior comes to rest on the base.